Even though Grey's Anatomy has nearly two decades behind it as a mainstay of the ABC primetime lineup, the end is not defined because the creators are always coming up with more stories.
"I have something percolating in my mind. And the percolating changes," showrunner Krista Vernoff said during a discussion on the At Home with the Creative Coalition podcast. "I had some ideas percolating during the first seven seasons — I used to pitch things to [Grey's Anatomy creator] Shonda [Rhimes] and she'd go, 'That's a Season 8 idea.' Meaning, that's the final-season-of-the-show idea. And now, we blew so far past Season 8, we're in Season 18."
Vernoff added, "So your idea of where the characters are going to end changes each year. Every year, I never know if I'm writing the last season of the show, literally. I percolate new ideas every year. If we ended it this year, what would it be?"
However, star and original cast member Ellen Pompeo has indicated she might want to move on. As Season 17 began last year, she told Variety, "We don't know when the show is really ending yet. But the truth is, this year could be it."
Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
Source: At Home with the Creative Coalition via People